Expansion rail joint



Feb. 11, 1941- c. D. ZUMPE- 2,231,192

I EXPANSION RAIL JOINT Filed Dec. 19, 1938 bwenfor:

Patented Feb. 11, 1941 PATENT OFFICE 2,231,102 EXPANSION RAIL JOINT Clark D. Zumpe, McKeesport, Pa., assignor to National Tube Company, a corporation of New Jersey l Application December 19, 1938, Serial No. 246,703

4 Claims.

,This invention relates to rail joints, and, particularly, to an improved rail joint of the expansion type, especially adapted for use in the runway track oftraveling cranes and the like.

It is desirable, as is generally known, to provide at least some joints in the laying of rails which will permit the same to expand and con tract due to changes in temperature so as to eliminate the snaking thereof. snaking is the tendency of the rails to buckle or assume a curved shape, thereby resulting in varying the gage of the track and, at times, in the pulling of the rails from their ties or other fastenings. This, of course, is due to the compression action between the rail ends resulting from the expansion of the rails induced by a rise in tempera ture. V

Various types of expansion rail joints have been suggested and used but, in most of these joints, awide gap was left between'the ends of the rails and one rail end would usually sag relative to the other when a wheel passed thereon, which usually resulted in the endsof the rail heads being upset after a time, due to the repeated impact of the wheels thereagainst.

This repeated impact also placed an undue wear on the flanges of the wheels, thereby not only reducing the life of the rails and necessitating frequent replacements thereof but also materially reducing the life of the wheels.

Also, such rail joints were unsatisfactory in that a pounding usually occurred when the wheels passed over such a wide gap, thereby resulting in vibrations being transmitted throughout the crane or car.

According to the present invention, there is provided an improved rail joint of the expansion type in which all of the abovedisadvantages have been eliminated and, yet, one which will positioned at one level relative to each other,

and, at the same time, one in which the load thereon will be transmitted to the rails and not (01. ass-+222) to the connecting bolts, and one that can be easily assembled and maintained.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved expansion rail joint, in which the width of the rail head throughout the joint is at least 60 per cent of the width of the rail head ofthe rails.

Various other objects and advantages of this invention will be more apparent in the course of the following specification and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the. accompanying drawing there is shown, for the purpose of illustration, one embodiment which my invention may assume in practice.

In the drawing:"

I Figure 1 is a plan ofthe improved expansion rail joint of my invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Figure 3 is a section taken on line IIIIII of Figure 2; n

Figure 4' is a section taken on line IV-IV of Figure 2; and,

Figure 5 is a section taken on line V-V of Figure 2. a

Referring more particularly to the drawing, there is shown a pair of rails 2 and 3 having rail heads 4 and 5, respectively, disposed upon the webportions (i of the rails and oppositely disposed end portions 1 which are joined together by the improved expansion joint of my invention.

,According to the present invention, the rail head 4 of the rail 2 is cut away from the end on. one side of the web to a point intermediate the rail so asto provide a cavity or opening 8 in the rail headonthat side of the rail and the railhead 5 of, the, rail 3 is similarly cut away from the end of the rail onthe side of the web to a point intermediate-the rail so as to provide a cavity or opening. 9 in the rail head on the oppositeside of theraila' There is: securely" connected to the side of the rail 3, preferably by means of welding, a splice bar Hlhaving an upwardly extending portion I2 45 integral, therewith which is adapted to extend upwardly with the top surface thereof flush with the topsurface of the'rail heads. This integral portionatleast abuts against the end of the rail headiof the rail 3 and ispreferably attached thereto or integral therewith, and is adapted to bridge" the ends of the rails on that side and extend across and lie in the opening 8 next to the web in the side of the rail head 4 of the rail 2, and so arranged as toiprovide a clearance I3 between the outer end of the integral portion I2 and the inner wall of the opening 8. v

There is securely connected to the side of rail 2 on the opposite side of the rails, and similarly positioned, a like splice bar I 4 having an upwardly extending portion I5 integral therewith which is adapted to at least abut against the end of the rail head 4 of the rail 2, and also preferably integral therewith, and-to bridge the ends of the rails on that side and extend across and lie in the opening 9 next to the web on that side of the rail head 5 of the rail 3, and likewise arranged so as to provide a clearance I I6 between the outer end of the integral portion I5 and the inner wall of the opening 9. g

The upwardly extending integral portions I2 and I5 of the splice bars II] and I4, respectively,

are preferably formed by cutting away the-metal:

from the respective rail heads from the end on the respective sides of the webs thereof, as shown at I I. The removed metal portions are then welded to'the topedgeof the respective splice bars andmetal built on, as designated at I8, sufliciently to bridge across the ends of the rails and extend the proper distance into the re-' spective openings 8 and 9. The splice bars are then welded to the sides of their respective rails with the removed metal portions beingpositioned in the openings in the rail heads caused by their removal, and fsecurelywelded thereto so as to provide a continuation of the rail head on'opposite sides of the respective rails. "The built-on metal is preferably derived from a welding rod of the proper, chemical composition to furnish strength and hardness equivalent to or preferably-greater than the rail heads themselves. It

will be understood that the railends to be joined are prepared in exactly the same manner. As

a result, it will be seen, then, that the rails are interchangeable; that is, each of the rails is prepared as described on one side of therail at one end thereof and on the opposite side at the other end.

In joining the rails after the splice bars have been attached respectively thereto, as described, it will be understood that the outer free end of the splice bar I0 is positioned next to the web of the rail 2 on the opposite side from that to which the splice bar I4 is attached thereto and the outer free end of the splice bar I4 is likewise positioned next to the web of the rail 3 on the opposite side from that to which the splice bar I0 is attached thereto. There is provided, in the outer free ends of each of the splice bars I0 and I4, elongated or slotted holes I9 which are adapted to align with circular holes '20 arranged through each of the webs of the rails'and the endsof the splice bars connected theretofor receiving the track .bolts 2|. w

The slotted holes IS in the splice bars are elongated sufliciently to permit the requisite sliding motion between the webs of the rails, together with the splice bars attachedthereto, and the outer free ends of the respective splice bars, dueto the. expansion and contraction of the rails.

It will be seen that, by providing an expansion joint of such construction, a continuous rail head is maintained throughout thev joint andthe width or bearing surface of the rail head throughout the same is at least =60 per cent of that of the rail heads of the rails; that is, the width or bearing surface of the rail head is. not reduced more than 40 per cent at any section :of the joint and this only for a .distanceequalto the amount the I joint is opened due to expansion and contractio of the rails.

As a result of my invention, it will also be seen that there is provided an expansion rail joint in which the load thereon will be carried substantially by the splice bars and the rails, thereby eliminating excessive forces being transmitted to the track bolts, the track bolts acting merely to hold the splice. bars and the rail ends together and therail ends in alignment with each other.

While I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that this embodiment is merely for the purpose of illustration and description and that various other forms may be devised within the scope of my invention, as defined in the appended claims.

I claim: 1., An expansion joint for rails comprising rail ends having cavities arranged in the end portions of the rail heads of each of them, a splice bar disposed on each side of said rails for joining the rail ends together with one end of each of said splice bars being welded to each of therails,

and means integrally carried by each of said splice bars whichis adapted to lie in the oppositely arranged cavity in the rail head of the opposed rail end so as to provide a continuation of the rail head between the ends of the rails, said means including metal built on the splice bars I andsecurely welded thereto whose strength is greater than that of the rail heads, said splice bars and the integral means carried thereby being so constructed and arranged as to permit expansion and contraction of the rails.

2,- An expansion joint for rails comprising rail,

ends having a cavity arranged in the end portion of the rail head of one of the rails next tothe webon one side of, the rails and a similar cavity arranged in the end. portion of the rail head of the other railnext to the web on the opposite side of the rails, a splice bar disposed next to the adapted to lie in the oppositely arranged cavity in the rail head of the opposed rail end so as to. provide a continuation of the rail head between the ends of the rails said means including metal built on the splice bars and securely welded thereto whose strength is greater than that .of the rail headsywith'the inner end of said integral means of each. of said splice bars being securelyj welded to the rail head to which the respective splice bars are welded so as to provide a so1id,con-' tinuous railhead at the joint on that side of the rail, and means for movably'attaching'the free ends of saidsplice barsto the respective endsof the railsso' as to permit-expansion and'contractionthereof.

3. An expansion joint for rails comprising railends having a portion of the rail head removed from the end portion'of one of the rails -on one side of the web 'onone' side of the rails and a portion of the railhead removedfrom the end portion of the oppositely disposed rail on-onfe side of the-webon the other-'sideof the rails so as to provide a cavity in-each end-portion thereof, a

splice bars extending freely along the respective sides of the rails on the side opposite to which the other is attached and having slotted holes arranged therein for receiving a bolt, each of said splice bars having an upwardly extending portion integral therewith which is adapted to lie in part of the cavity formed therein by the removed portion of said rails so as to provide a continuous rail head between the ends of the rails with the inner end of said integral portion of each of said splice bars being securely welded to the rail head to which the respective splice bars are welded so as to provide a solid continuous rai1 head at the joint on that side of the rail and with the outer end of the integral portion on each of said splice bars being spaced from the inner wall of the respective cavities of the opposed rail ends in which they are disposed thereby providing a clearance therebetween so as to permit expansion and contraction of the rails, said upwardly extending portion of each of said splice bars including metal built on the splice bars and securely welded thereto whose strength is greater than that of the rail heads.

4. An expansion joint for rails comprising rail ends having a portion of the rail head removed from the end of one of the rails on one side of the web on one side of the rails and a portion of the rail head removed from the end of the oppositely disposed rail on one side of the web on the other side of the rails so as to provide a cavity in each end portion thereof, a splice bar disposed next to the web on each side of said rails and bridging the ends thereof with one of said splice bars being welded to the side of the rail on the side opposite that from the removed portion in that rail and the other splice bar being welded to the side of the other rail on the side opposite that from the removed portion in that rail with the opposite free ends of each of said splice bars extending freely along the respective sides of the rails on the side opposite to which the other is attached and having slotted holes arranged therein for receiving a bolt, each of said splice bars having an upwardly extending portion integral therewith which is adapted to lie in the respective cavity so formed in the end of each of said rails so as to provide a continuous rail head between the ends of the rails with the inner end i of said integral portion of each of said splice bars being securely Welded to the rail head to which the respective splice bars are welded so as to provide a solid continuous head at the joint on that side of the rail and with the outer end of the integral portion on each of said splice bars being spaced from the inner wall of the respective cavity of the opposed rai1 end in which it is disposed thereby providing a clearance therebetween so as to permit expansion and contraction of the rails, said upwardly extending portion of each of said splice bars comprising the removed rail head portions on that side of the rail web securely welded to the respective splice bars with additional metal built on and securely welded thereto whose strength is greater than that of the rail heads, said joint being constructed and arranged so that the rail head throughout the joint is at least 60 percent of that of the rail head of each of the rails.

CLARK D. ZUMPE. 

